Is Vienna Still the City of Musicians?
by ayame-means-iris
Summary: Gilbert is a music major who wants to become a great composer. Roderich is his music professor. What could possibly go wrong?
1. Chapter 1

"Gilbert Beilschmidt. Well, it doesn't really sound like a composer name does it?"

"Don't be a bitch, Lizzie. I'll be one of the big B's: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Beilschmidt. You'll see!"

"Ha! Yeah right! You don't even have any compositions yet!"

"Yes I do! They're just mostly...well, they're ones I did for harmony class..."

"Uh huh. And what about some original compositions?"

"Well, I've got ideas for pieces!"

"Ha! Everybody has ideas! It's the people that actually make something that count!"

"Fuckin' hell. Well, it has been kinda hard to compose stuff on my own without being given an assignment..."

Gil hung his head and sighed, looking rather pathetic, until Liz broke down and tried to encourage him.

"You know, there's a composition class coming up this semester."

"Oh yeah?" Gil's head shot up, his red eyes looking at her eagerly.

"Yeah. I heard the teacher's really good. His name is Dr. Edelstein."

"Ah, one of my countrymen!" Gilbert was ridiculously nationalistic, something that would forever mark him as a rebel in Germany. Nationalism was so un-PC there that it was almost a hate crime.

Liz scoffed, "No, actually he said he's Austrian, from Vienna if you can believe it! Wow, and he said it with this snooty air. He actually put his nose in the air! I thought it was just a figure of speech, but apparently not!"

Gil's brow furrowed doubtfully, "Is he really such hot shit?"

Liz grinned maniacally and nodded, "Hell yes! I saw the faculty concert last month and he played the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2."

"Huh? There was an orchestra?"

"No, they used a piano reduction so they hired an accompanist."

"Oh. Wow...I guess he is hot shit."

"Yeah, and like, in more ways than one!" Liz squealed and waggled her eyebrows.

"What d'ya mean?"

"He's like, thirty-something but looks twenty, I swear! Handsome, slim, elegant..." she sighed the last word, staring off into space with a dreamy smile on her face.

"Hey, earth to Liz. I think you're drooling." Gil waved his hand in front of her face and smirked at her when she shot him a dirty look.

"Seriously, I heard the class is super hard, but he's such a great teacher you'll get so much out of it. I think it's just what you need to get composing."

Gil nodded, "Okay. Are you going to take it too?"

Liz just laughed, "As if! I've got the dumb guy major here, performance is it for me. Composing is too hard!" She took off down the hall and threw over her shoulder, "You're on your own Gil! Have fun with Dr. Edelstein!"

...

Gilbert sat down outside classroom 128. 'This was the right room right?' Dr. Edelstein's class was entitled: "20th Century Composition Techniques" and that sure sounded a lot harder than he was prepared to manage...but he'd done the prerequisites so how bad could it really be?

Gradually other students started to gather next to the door. They all started asking each other if this was the right class. Occasionally, their eyes would flit over to him sitting on the floor, dart away, then stare at him again. Despite his hood covering his white hair, his paper white skin was still visible. His red eyes framed by pure white lashes were not as visible in the low light but still looked strange. Gilbert sighed softly and tried to ignore their curious glances. 'Why don't they just talk to me if they're so interested? If they think I'm too awesome for them now, just wait 'til they see me in class!'

A sharply dressed figure walked quickly into the midst of the milling students and opened the door. Gil jumped up and went into the class room. He sat about halfway back against one of the wall so he wouldn't be stared at too much but he could still see the board then pulled out his pen and notebook.

"Good afternoon class. My name is Dr. Edelstein. If you would like a syllabus the web address is on the board. Now, let's take roll. Is Michael Alexander here?"

Gil looked around as roll was called. There were about twenty students in the class with a more or less even mix of males and females, all of them in their twenties and of every race. The two Asian girls sat next to each other, and a couple of the guys and girls were paired off, but the rest spread out and sat by themselves.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt?" Gil met Dr. Edelstein's gaze and raised his hand. A frown passed over the professor's face. "Please, no hats, hoods or sunglasses in my classroom! That goes for everyone!" He said snippily and went back to his list.

Gil flushed, which for him was embarrassingly evident, and pulled back his hood. He imagined that the florescent light reflected off his white hair like the sun hitting white snow. 'Maybe all the people staring at me will get snow blindness.' he thought angrily as roll finally concluded.

"Well, it seems like there is a lot of interest in 20th Century music! That's good because it is a very exciting subject. The last hundred years have seen more radical musical change and innovation than the previous three hundred! So, given that tremendous variety in musical ideas and techniques, we have a lot of ground to cover! You had best go and buy the book immediately. I know that it is expensive. At the bookstore on campus I believe they are selling it for almost two hundred dollars, but it is well worth the investment, and if you spend some time looking online I'm sure you can find it for less. Please have the book and read the introduction and first chapter by our class next week. Are there any questions?"

Dr. Edelstein rattled off his speech in a distinct Austrian accent while the students bemoaned the state of their finances and whispered to each other about where they were going to search for the textbook.

"Alright, if that's it, then feel free to leave early today. Remember to look at the syllabus online so you know what is expected of you!"

Gil walked briskly out of the class and headed to the bookstore. 'Better get there quick before all the used copies are gone.'

…


	2. Chapter 2

"Today, we will look at the music of the late nineteenth century. The main trends that are relevant for our discussion today are: One, the development of more challenging melodies with increasing chromaticism and larger leaps. Two, the development of increasingly complex harmonies, tall chords, non-tertian chords, the use of voice-leading chords and unresolved dissonances."

Gilbert pulled out his manuscript paper and notebook.

"Please look at page five, at the excerpt by...Richard Strauss!"

Dr. Edelstein pulled an iPod out of his suit pocket and hooked it up to the sound system.

"Now, listen!"

Gilbert started at the score as the melody began in the lowest part of the cello range and climbed and climbed to the highest. He noted the change from bass to tenor and then soprano clef.

"Do you notice anything interesting about the excerpt?"

Gil quickly raised his hand. "Yes?" Dr. Edelstein said archly.

"Is it normal for the cello to use three different clefs?"

"Yes, quite normal. The cello does have a tremendous range doesn't it? Some say it is superior to the violin for that reason. But let's not get into that debate. What else do you see?"

Gilbert felt the weight of Dr. Edelstein's regard as they held each other's gaze. 'His eyes are...blue? No, they're too dark...' Gilbert broke the staring match first and looked searchingly at his book.

One of the Asian girls spoke up, "The rhythm has a lot of variety." Dr. Edelstein turned away and said, "Good, there's no predictable pattern to the rhythm. That creates an improvisatory feeling, doesn't it?"

Gilbert realized he was holding his breath and exhaled slowly. 'Geez, what's up with that? He doesn't make me nervous...does he?'

The rest of the lecture went by quickly as Gilbert found himself nodding and taking notes of Dr. Edelstein's every word. He still felt a strange tension inside whenever the professor's gaze landed on him. In response, Gil could only fumble with his notes and stare down at his book obsessively, while trying to think of something clever to say. But other students kept beating him to it.

"Before you go, the homework is to compose a short melody with some of the features we talked about today: wide range, leaps, chromaticism, varied rhythms, and try to imply some non-tertian harmonies. Keep in mind that in the future you will have to harmonize the melody."

Dr. Edelstein was immediately swamped by several students with questions, so Gil got his stuff together and left quickly.

'Well, I guess we'll see what he thinks of whatever I come up with next class.' he thought to himself as he considered what sort of melody he would write. 'Maybe something for cello...I better go ask Liz if she'll play it for me when it's done...'

…

"So, how'd your class with Dr. Edelstein go?" Liz said his name in an obnoxious sing-song. "Told ya he's cute. Too bad about the snotty attitude though, but maybe that's your thing?" She laughed at the look on his face. "Don't scrunch up your nose like that, it might get stuck that way!" Gil swiped at her playfully making her squeal loudly and completely out of proportion for the amount of harm he might do to her. "Argh! Shut up! You're hurting my ears!" He growled at her as he grabbed her roughly by the hood of her sweatshirt. "No! Don't mess up my clothes!" She instantly surrendered so he pulled her into a bear hug and squeezed her until she wheezed then let her go. "Class was cool. He's a good teacher. But he already gave homework to write a melody. I thought you could play it on the cello for me." Gil smiled his most charming smile at Liz. She pretended to consider it, then agreed. "Okay. But first tell me, did he do that thing he does?"

"What?"

"You know when he says Richard Strauss, he puts this little pause before it and says it all reverent-like...Richard...Strauss!" She did an exaggerated imitation of Dr. Edelstein's Austrian accented pronunciation of the composer's first name so that it ended with a 't' rather than a 'd' complete with overly dramatic pauses and a starry-eyed worshipful expression on her face.

Gil seemed taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing, "You know, he really did say it that way!"

"I knew it! Is that a Germanic thing or what?! I swear to god Dr. Schultz does it too!" Liz cackled.

"You mean there's another German teaching here too?" Gil was starting to wonder if the school had some kind of policy of importing all of their instructors from Europe.

"Yeah, he's German. Teaches orchestration and conducting. Big, tall, blond and blue eyed. Ridiculously handsome." Liz sighed and got that man hungry look on her face again.

"O-kay. Cool down a little Liz. You've got a Beilschmidt composition to play." Gil pulled her into a practice room so that he could hear what his new creation sounded like.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey!"

Gilbert looked up from his book to find one of the Asian girls from his class smiling down at him. "Can I sit here?" She waved her hand at the floor next to him. He was sitting in the hall outside of class waiting for the teacher to arrive.

"Sure," he said as nonchalantly as he could manage. She was cute in a slightly chubby way.

She sat next to him and pulled out her binder. "So, how did the melody go?" She flipped through the neatly organised sheets of manuscript paper until she got to her perfect, pristine computer notated melody.

Gilbert pulled out his binder and took a rumpled sheet of manuscript paper out of one of the stuffed full pockets. His chicken scratch handwriting was more or less legible.

The Asian girl looked at it sceptically. "Um, didn't you read the syllabus?"

"Yeah, I glanced at it."

She sighed and said regretfully, "It said all assignments must be printed out using Finale or one of the other notation programs."

"Oh."

"Well, it's just the first one. I'm sure it's no big deal so long as the rest are-"

Gil interrupted her, "I don't have Finale. Isn't it like, six hundred dollars or something?"

Asian girl shook her head, "No, that's only if you get the full version. There's a free version you can download online."

Gil stared down at the paper in his hand. "Oh, okay. Thanks." He sighed, then pasting a smile on his face looked at the girl again. "So, what's your name?"

She giggled in that obnoxiously bubbly way that girls do when they are trying to act cute. "Kiki! And yours?"

"Gil."

"Cool, Gil. Short for Gilbert right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Kiki muttered his name to herself a couple times and traced it on her palm with her finger. "Okay, I think I can remember it! I'm so bad with names it's ridiculous!"

Gil found himself desperately fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah...me too. Though I think Kiki is pretty easy. Kiki, like a kitty, huh?" He said teasingly.

"Oh, cute!" she squealed. "Hey, where are you from? Your accent is neat!"

Gil chuckled lowly. 'Ah, a germanophile?' he thought with a smirk.

"I am from Germany. East Germany. Leipzig to be specific." he said with an inordinate amount of pride.

"Wow..." she sighed dreamily, "Leipzig...did you grow up there?"

"Yes, until I was eighteen. Then I came here."

"Did you ever go to Eisenach?" she asked in a hushed, reverent tone.

"Where?"

"You know, Eisenach! Bach's town."

"Oh yeah, that's right. No. I never did get the chance."

Kiki seemed a bit put out as though thought she couldn't believe that he had never managed to visit Johann Sebastian Bach's hometown in all his eighteen years in Germany.

"Well, did you ever visit the Bluthner piano factory? I was just down at the showroom in town! Oh my god, they sound sooo dreamy!"

Gil was forced to admit that he'd never been there either.

Kiki seemed to deflate in a sort of comically exaggerated disappointment.

"Why not?" she asked while giving him puppy-dog eyes.

Gil sighed, "I was too busy finishing school?" he tried, but he could already tell that he was losing points with her.

He watched regretfully as she jumped up to follow Dr. Edelstein into the class and thought, 'Ah, germanophiles. Can't live with them...'


	4. Chapter 4

As expected, Gilbert's messy manuscript paper was handed back to him two classes later covered in a paragraph of elegant red writing.

_I would appreciate it if you would use a notation program like I asked. This assignment is nearly illegible! Do you want to fail? You certainly will if I cannot make out what notes you have written! Please come to my office hours (Tues. 2-4pm) and play it for me._

…

Gilbert waited impatiently in the music office. There was a student already in Dr. Edelstein's office and there was a line of students trailing out into the hall. How many classes did they have the Austrian professor teach? They were all carrying different homework assignments, everything from basic theory to counterpoint exercises. 

Finally, the guy before him left and the heavily pierced receptionist picked up the phone. "There's a Gilbert Beilschmidt here to see you…Okay." The girl waved her black lace gloved hand vaguely toward the back. "It's the last one on the right."

Gil wandered into the tiny, dim hallway then saw an open door. There were two desks divided by a bookcase packed with books and papers, manuscripts and scores balanced precariously on the top in a messy pile. The first desk was surrounded and covered by piles of things that were mostly about jazz from what he could see, and the second was neat and clean with Dr. Edelstein sitting behind it.

"Come in," the Austrian said with a long suffering sigh, "and close the door behind you."

Gilbert pulled up a chair and sat across from the professor. He tentatively placed the homework assignment on the desk between them and turned it toward Dr. Edelstein. "Um," Gil cleared his throat nervously under the poker faced regard of his professor, "It's supposed to be a B-flat here, and a C-" Dr. Edelstein interrupted, "Just take it to the keyboard and play it." He pointed to the Clavinova keyboard against the wall. Gil picked up his paper and reluctantly sat at the keyboard. Dr. Edelstein followed him and stood behind him looking over his shoulder. Gil imagined saying 'I'm a flutist not a pianist!' but figured it wouldn't go over well, then lifted his hands to the keyboard. 'Am I shaking?! Can he tell that I'm shaking?!' He took a deep breath and tried to screen out everything except his own handwriting, then haltingly, he played.

"Hmm…" Dr. Edelstein leaned over Gil's shoulder and pointed to the second phrase. "I like how you implied a quintal chord with this gesture." Then he pointed to the end of the melody. "Nice cadence." He picked up the paper and stepped back. "Your use of chromatic and diatonic elements is balanced. And the range and leaps are wide, characteristic of the style. You did a good job. Now…" Dr. Edelstein sat at his desk again and waited for Gilbert to sit across from him again, "did you get a notation program?" Gil nodded eagerly. "Alright, well make sure to use it when you write the accompaniment. For piano, remember?" Gil nodded and smiled, "Okay. I'll get started on it right away." Dr. Edelstein smiled a little and handed Gilbert his paper. "See you in class."


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning to innocent and/or squeamish readers: Discussion of unpleasant sexual experience in this chapter, but no graphic sex scenes. **

**Carry on.**

…

The only thing that Gilbert didn't like about choosing to study music was the fact that he couldn't listen to music while studying, unless of course that was part of the assignment. But he figured that just gave him a good excuse to find other ways to listen to new music…like going clubbing.

This club was better than most. They had a really great DJ who always seemed to know exactly what he liked to hear. And the crowd was always full of hot, scantily clad girls and guys that actually knew how to dance. Gil watched appreciatively from the bar as a slim, dark haired pretty boy did a pretty respectable hardstyle shuffle.

Gil danced his way over to the guy and yelled, "Not bad!" Then he showed off his moves, only for the guy to turn away and ignore him. "Hey!" Gil tugged on the hottie's arm and nearly got slapped. "Get off me jerk!" he spat. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for Gil the crowd was too thick for him to storm off, so Gil tried again. "Come on! I'll buy you a drink!" The brunette gave him an appraising look and visibly sighed. "Okay!"

They slowly made their way off the dance floor. Gil fought his way up to the bar and ordered two shots of tequila. He came back to find the hottie tapping his foot impatiently. "Here!" he yelled, handing him the shot. The guy downed it in one go looking unimpressed, and then grabbed the other shot out of Gil's hand. He threw that one back as well, said "Thanks for the drinks!" and turned to go.

Gil grabbed him again, dodged another slap and yelled, "Hey, don't cha wanna go somewhere, have some fun?!" The guy looked him up and down and swayed a bit on his feet. 'Guess those drinks are getting to him now…' Gil smiled his best devilish grin and cocked his hip. "Come on! Let's go!"

…

Gil woke up to find an empty bed.

"What the fuck…? Oh, yeah…" he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes blearily. "Ugh, well that sucked. Remind me to never do that again…" He groaned and put the pillow over his head.

The cute guy turned out to be the world's biggest jerk in bed.

"_What the fuck! An albino!?" he laughed ominously, "Well, I never done it with one of those." _

What the hell was his name…Roma-something. Sounded Italian… Gil couldn't help but remember how gorgeous the guy was once he was under some decent light. Ebony black hair, sharp features, olive skin… 'God, why did he have to be such an asshole?!' Gil was actually starting to get hard picturing the guy, but it made him feel disgusted with himself. 'Damn it! I'm not like that! It's sick to be turned on by him after what he did!'

"_So Casper, here's the deal. I don't bottom 'cause that's for pussies like you, got it? And if you think I'm about to suck that pathetic pasty prick of yours, well you got another thing coming. Now, you wanted this so fucking bad, so now you're gonna get it!" _

Gil got Roma-whatshisname to wear a condom, but only after he let the guy verbally and sexually degrade him.

'Why didn't I just throw him out? What the hell is wrong with me?' Gil wondered as he dragged himself out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He got in the shower, turned on the water full blast as hot as he could stand and washed the disgusting residue of last night off his face. 'Why did I just go along with it? I could have refused, even fought him off if he wouldn't take no as an answer. Why didn't I?' Gil washed between his legs. He was half-hard, just like when that asshole was… "Ugh! Stupid fuck! I'm such an idiot! Who cares anyway! It was just sex, it doesn't matter!"


End file.
